Don Tabol and Sam Heidelburg joined forces in the crunch and University of Batangas completed the semis cast with a 68-57 win over the surprisingly stubborn National College of Business and Arts in the PG Flex Linoleum-Universities and Colleges Basketball League yesterday at the Olivarez College gym in Parañaque City.
Tabol scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth, including five a telling 12-3 attack to finally take the fight out of the Wildcats and end a three-game losing streak.
With its sixth win in nine games, UB joined defending champion Diliman College, Olivarez College and Centro Escolar Unverity to the semis which starts next week.
The 6-foot-4 Heidelburg added 10 points and four boards for the Brahmans who also got 11 points from Melvin Ricaña and another 10 from Joseph Torres.
The Wildcats of former hotshot Jake Codamon remained winless in 9 games.
Meantime, CEU closed out its elimination campaign with a 71-66 win over Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas in the first game.
Franz Ray Diaz struck hardest for the Scorpions coming through with a team-high 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field apart from posting seven assists, five rebounds and three steals – numbers enough to give them a 7-3 record.
Senegalese 6-foot-9 center Maodo Malick Diouf showed up in uniform but did not see action, obviously being rested in time for next week’s semis most likely against the top-seeded and defending champion Diliman College.
The Pirates, who got 26 points from Lowell Castro, finished the season with a 3-7 mark.
Despite the absence of Maodo, the Scorpions dominated the boards, 48-41, had more inside points, 34-28, and shot better from the field, making 26 of 64 tries for 40 percent against 33 percent (23-69) for the Pirates.
CEU coach Derrick Pumaren, however, rued the team’s 27 turnovers, saying they can’t afford to commit the same mistakes in the semis.
